Panel-type form system with gasket strips



March 25, 1969 o. J..AFTRETH PANEL-TYPE FORM SYSTEM WITH GASKET STRIPSFiled March 15, 1968 INVENTOR:

0744; Wad,

ATT'YS Filed March 13, 1968 March 25, 1 96 9 O.J.AFTRETH Q 7 3,434,689

PANEL-TYPE FORM SYSTEM WITH GASKET STRIPS Sheet 4" 0:2

' FIG. 4

I N VEN TOR.

Q WREN I AF TRETH United States Patent US. Cl. 249-193 4 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE Concrete forms system with aligned panels andelastorner filler strip gasket between opposing edges of panelsproviding substantially water-tight seal.

Briefly, this invention relates to form systems for pouring concretewalls and the like, which systems utilize a pair of opposing walls intowhich the concrete can be poured. These walls are made up of a series ofsubstantially abutting, aligned panels having grooves in the side edges.The elongated gasket strips of the invention have elongated ribs whichmatingly fit into these grooves to provide an essentially water tightjoint between contiguous edges of the substantially abutting panels.Furthermore, the elongated gasket strips are provided with facessubstantially in the plane of the faces of the panels against which theconcrete is retained, whereby the concrete wall, upon curing and removalof the forms, presents a finished surface essentially free fromprotruding ridges which detract from the appearance of the concretewall.

The elastomer filler strips serve the purpose of provding asubstantially water tight joint between panels. Concrete of good qualityis made with predetermined proportions of water to give the best qualityto the cured concrete. If substantial amounts of this water escapethrough leaks in the form wall, the quality of the cured concrete isdegraded. The higher the concrete wall, column, etc., being poured, thegreater is the weight of the concrete tending to press water out of thelower parts of the poured concrete. Hence, a wall or column of curedconcrete could be of inferior or poorer quality in the lower portionsthereof through loss of water prior to cure due to the pressure thereonby the concrete above.

An object of this invention is to provide a concrete forms systemembodying a form wall with substantially aligned panels with spacesbetween opposing edges, each of which has a longitudinal, taperedgroove, and said spaces being filled with a web of an elastomer fillerstrip with tapered ribs on said web seated in grooves of said opposingedges.

Another object is to provide a concrete forms system as aforesaidwherein an edge of said web is substantially flush with theconcrete-retaining faces of said panels to provide a smooth-surfacedjoint.

A further object is to provide concrete forms systems embodyingsubstantially aligned panels forming a wall of the forms system withspaced, opposing edges between said panels filled by an elastomer fillerstrip, and means on the panels drawing the edges together to compressthe filler strip therebetween.

Still another object is to provide concrete forms systems as aforesaidwherein said web of said filler strip has an elongated base stripextending along one edge thereof with oppositely and laterally-directed,elongated, elastomer flanges and a face on each flange pressing againsta respective face of said panels contiguous to the edges thereof,whereby said filler strip urges said panels into substantial alignment.

Another object is to provide concrete forms systems 3,434,689 PatentedMar. 25, 1969 as aforesaid wherein said base strip has a longitudinalgroove providing narrow, elastomer, elongated necks at the bases of theflanges for flexure of said flanges during mounting of the filler stripsin the spaces between panels and a removable filler strip in thelongitudinal groove, which, when inserted, urges the faces of theflanges against the respective faces of the panels.

Another object of the invention is to provide elastomer filler strips asaforedefined.

A further object is to provide an elongated gasket strip wherein saidelongated groove is substantially diamondshaped and said removablefiller strip has an elongated, substantially diamond-shaped head whichfits into and substantially fills said groove.

These, as well as other objects, features and advantages of theinvention hereinafter made apparent to those skilled in the art, areprovided by the preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a rear, perspective view of two panels of a wall of aconcrete forms system with a filler strip of the invention therebetween;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the segment of said wall in the vicinity ofthe filler strip;

FIG. 3 is a perspective, fragmentary, exploded view of the filler strip;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, side elevation of the contiguous corners offour form panels, the filler strips therebetween, and a cross fillerpiece at the cross intersection of said panels;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, side elevation of the contiguous corners of twoform panels, a third panel laid lengthwise across the upper edgesthereof, the filler strips therebetween and a T-filler piece at theT-intersection of said panels; and

FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively, are side elevations, with portions brokenaway, of the cross filler piece and T-filler piece of FIGS. 4 and 5.

Referring to the drawing, the illustrated segment of the form wall 5comprises aligned, plywood panels 6 and 7 reinforced on the rear facesby vertical wood studs 8 and 9, respectively, which are nailed thereto.

The opposing edges 10 and 11 of the panels have tapered grooves 12 and13, each having a rear wall 14 at right angles to the plane of therespective edge and a front wall 15 at an acute angle thereto.

An elongated, elastomer filler strip 15 fills the space between thepanels. It comprises a rectangular, central web 16 having tapered ribs17 and 18 extending laterally from opposite sides of the web near thefront edge. The web has a front web portion 19 projecting beyond theribs 17 and 18.

The ribs are matingly shaped with the tapered grooves 12 and 13, andthey align the panels and filler strip as they are forced into thegrooves when the opposing edges 10 and 11 of panels 6 and 7 are drawntogether. The rear edge of web .16 has an elastomer, elongated basestrip 20 with oppositely and laterally directed, elongated flanges 21and 22 connected at their bases by narrow, elastomer, elongated,flexible necks '23 and 24, respectively. The necks 23 and 24 are formedby providing, the opposite rear edge of web 16, an elongated,substantiallydiamond-shaped groove 25 in the base strip 20. The frontfaces 26 and 27 of ribs 21 and 22 have longitudinal edge portions '28and 29 which slope slightly forwardly.

The form wall is formed by aligning panels 6 and 7, and bringing themtogether with ribs 17 and 18 of the filler strip in groves 12 and 13which are formed between the front tongues 34 and 35 and rear tongues 36and 37 of the panel edges. The removable filler strip for groove 25 isleft out at this stage. The flanges 21 and 22 are flexed rearwardly atflexible necks 23 and 24 to slip panel tongues 36 and 37 between therear edges of ribs 12 and 13 and the front faces 26 and 27 of flanges 21and 22. As the panels are drawn together, the front web portion 19 ispressed on opposite sides by the opposing edges of tongues 34 and 35.Web 16 may be similarly pressed by the opposing edges of tongues 36 and37. The front edge 31 aligns with the front, concrete-retaining faces 32and 33 of panels 6 and 7 to provide a smooth face at the joint betweenpanels.

The edges of the panels may be drawn together by any convenient means.The illustrated means includes a series of bolts 42 extending throughpairs of aligned holes 40 and 41 in those studs 8 and 9, respectively,which are adjacent edges 10 and 11. The nuts 43 are tightened until thepanels are drawn together enough to seat ribs 17 and 18 snugly ingrooves 12 and 13 and press the tongues 34 and 35 tightly against thesides of web portion 19. As aforesaid, tongues 36 and 37 may also presstightly against the sides of web 16. As the ribs 17 and 18 work into thegrooves 12 and 13, the panels become substantially aligned.

The removable filler strip 30 has a diamond-shaped head substantiallymated to diamond-shaped groove and a rear strip portion 32, the latterfor gripping strip to remove it from groove 25. Strip 30 is an elastomerstrip which is preferably harder than the elastomer filler strip 15 sothat it urges flanges 21 and 22 apart when inserted in groove 25. Whenso inserted, flanges 21 and 22 are urged in a pivotal-like action atflexible necks 23 and 24 to press faces 26 and 27 against the rear facesof panels 6 and 7. The sloping edges 28 and 29 are deformed and becomesubstantially parallel with the inner portions of faces 26 and 27,whereby edge portions 28 and 29 are pressed tightly against the rearfaces of the panels. The pressures of the edge portions against the rearfaces aid in final alignment of the panels and also give a substantiallywater-tight joint.

The filler strip 15 may form substantially water-tight seals at severalplaces. The first or primary seal is between the edges of tongues 34 and35 and the sides of web portion 19. Secondary seals may also beelfected, depending on relative dimensions and panel alignment, betweenthe edges of tongues 36 and 37 and the sides of web 16 and between edgeportions 28 and 29 and the rear faces of panels 6 and 7.

In addition to the side-by-side arrangement of form panels asillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, form systems of the invention may includearrangements wherein the abutting edges of the panels intersect in theform of a cross or of a T, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. In suchcase, the filler strips between contiguous edges of the panels mayinclude pre-molded cross filler pieces at the cross intersections of thepanels or premolded T-pieces at the T-intersections of the panels.

Referring to FIG. 4, a cross filler piece of the same general transversecross-section as filler strip 15 is mounted in the grooves 12 and 13 atthe corners of panels 45, 47, 48, and 49. The legs 50, 51, 52 and 53 ofthe cross filler piece 45 each have a web 16, ribs .17 and 18, a frontweb 19, and flanges 21 and 22 which meet in the center portion of thecross filler piece at substantially right angle corners. Thus, therespective corners of panels 46, 47, 48, and 49 fit into a right anglecorner formed by the respective intersections of pairs of the webs 16 ofthe cross filler piece 45.

The filler strip 30 may extend through the cross filler piece 45 in onedirection, while the filler piece extending in the other directioncomprises separate filler piece strips 30a and 30b having endspositioned in the cross filler piece 45 near filler strip 30.

The cross filler piece 45 may be used as a separate piece in assemblingthe form system, in which case the outer ends 54 of the respective legsare substantially abutted by the ends of respective filler strips 15 Ifdesired, however, the cross filler pieces 45 may be vulcanized orotherwise adhered to the ends of the respective filler strips 15 toprovide an integral network.

In panel systems arranged such as illustrated in FIG. 4, the studreinforcement on the rear faces of panels 46, 47', 48, and 49 comprisesvertically extending, wood studs 8 and 9 and horizontally extending woodstuds 8a, 8b, 9a, and 9b. The ends of the respective studs terminatejust short of the outer edges of the panels in the corner portionsthereof. The four corners of the panels are drawn together by the use offour bolts 42 in the same manner as previously described to effect asubstantially water-tight seal at the cross filler piece 45.

Referring to FIG. 5, a T-filler piece 60 having a leg 61 and a cross leg62 is provided at the T-intersection of horizontally aligned form panels63 and 64 and a vertically aligned panel 65 having its edge extendingacross the upper edge of panels 63 and 64. The legs 61 and 62 have atransverse cross-section corresponding to the transverse cross-sectionof filler strip 15 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 and are of likenature to the previously described legs 50-53 of the filler piece 45.The upper half of cross leg 62 corresponds in shape and dimension to theupper portion of the abutting filler strips 15. The lower half of thecross legs 62 has its web 16, flanges 17 and 18, front web portion 19,and base strip 20 with its flanges 21 and 22 intersecting thecorresponding parts of the leg 61 at substantially right angles, wherebythe square corners of panels 63 and 64 respectively fit into the cornersformed by the intersections of the webs 16 corresponding to web 16 ofFIG. 3.

The outer ends 66 of the cross legs 62 substantially abut the contiguousends of the strips 15 and may be, if desired, vulcanized or otherwiseadhered thereto. The outer end 67 of leg 61 similarly abuts thecontiguous end of vertical strip 15 and may be similarly vulcanized orotherwise adhered thereto, if desired.

Panels 63, 64, and 65, are drawn together to effect a substantiallywater-tight seal at the T-filler piece 60 by three bolts 42 connecting,respectively, vertical studs 8 and 9, horizontal studs 9a and 9c, andhorizontal studs 9b and 9c. Horizontal filler strip 30 may extend acrossthe horizontal leg 62 while filler strip 300 has its end in T-fillerpiece 60 near filler strip 30.

It is thought that the invention and its numerous attendant advantageswill be fully understood from the foregoing description, and it isobvious that numerous changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit orscope of the invention, or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages,the form herein disclosed being a preferred embodiment for the purposeof illustrating the invention.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A concrete form system comprising a pair of substantially alignedpanels having spaced, opposing edges, said opposing edges each having alongitudinal, tapered groove therein, an elastomer filler strip havingan elongated web filling the space between said edges, elastomer,elongated, tapered ribs extending from opposite sides of said web insubstantially mating fit respectively in said tapered grooves, and meanson said panels drawing said edges together to compress therebetween saidfiller strip.

2. A forms system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said web has an edgesubstantially flush with concrete-retaining faces of said panels toprovide a smooth surfaced joint.

3. A concrete forms system as claimed in claim 1, an elongated basestrip extending along one edge of said web with oppositely and laterallydirected, elongated flanges, and each flange having a face pressingagainst a respective face of said panels contiguous to their respectiveedges.

4. A concrete forms system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said base striphas opposite said edge of said web an elongated, longitudinal groove ofsufiicient depth in the direction of said web to provide at the bases ofsaid flanges narrow, elastomer, elongated, flexible necks connectingsaid edge of said web and said respective flanges, and a removablefiller strip in said groove.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Van Cleef.

Bosco.

Rumble 249192X Rumble 249192 X Shoemaker.

Armstrong et al 249-488 Stiles 249-188 Boettner 249192X Pluckebaum249-192 US. Cl. X.R.

